Berlin´s birthplace

The site around the so-called 'Mühlendamm' bridge which can be translated literally as 'Mills Dam' actually represents the city´s birthplace. In the beginning there was only a ford through the river Spree letting this place become an important part of long distance trade routes. People settled on both sides of the ford, the two neighbouring towns of Berlin and Cölln were born which later united. 

The Mühlendamm as a structure was first mentioned in 1298. At the very beginning the inhabitants erected a bridge and later a wooden barrier which connected the two towns and dammed the water of the river. The widened river provided water for the ditches around the defence walls. 

Starting from the year 1220 grain mills directly erected on the dam used the force of the water. Later on further mills for fulling (clothes production) and sawing (wood) came in addition. Their products were sold directly on the bridge in wooden stores and on two adjacent markets: On the Cölln side the Fish Market and on the Berlin side the 'Molkenmarkt'. The latter got its name from the mills on the bridge.

In terms of shipping the dam was a barrier: Ships had to stop and in order to continue the journey the goods had to be unloaded and to be carried to the other side of the dam. Then they were reloaded on other ships. But before reloading the traders had to act according to Berlin´s 'Stapelrecht' (engl.: staple right) which meant even if they just wanted to pass through the town they had to present their goods for a certain time at the local market. This also lead to more and more merchants permanently staying in Berlin and a growing economy. Meanwhile the first lock for ships was not mentioned until around 1550 being located in the nearby 'Cöllnischer Stadtgraben' (engl. literally translated: 'Cölln City Ditch'). From 1448 on the mills were owned by the the so-called 'Elector', the regent of Brandenburg (the region Berlin is located in). The 'mill master' working for the 'Elector' controlled the production of the goods as well as the thirlage (thirlage means the rule that nobody is allowed to bring their grain or other crude materials to another mill than the Elector´s one). 

[P1]: The Mühlendammbrücke in 1680: The colonnades in the south and the mills in the north of the dam. Berlin on the right, Cölln on the left 
© Sascha Möllering/Berlin on Bike  http://berlinonbike.de

In 1683 the 'Elector' Friedrich Wilhelm decided to renew the dam structure: 1687 its wooden stores were replaced by stone buildings. The rebuilding had to be paid by the merchants themselves. In front of their shops colonnades were erected named 'Mühlenkolonnaden' (engl.: 'Mill Colonnades'). On the backwalls of these colonnades paintings showed the most important cities of the region. The colonnades were built by Johann Arnold Nering working for the regent at that time.  
Another change related to the Mühlendamm´s junction with the 'Fischerbrücke' (engl.: Fisher Bridge') on the Cölln side of the dam: In 1696 a gate with a meeting hall over it was erected. The hall served as Berlin´s first stock exchange. 

Several fires devastated the Mühlendamm during the 18. century. After that it was re-erected in sandstone and the colonnades were rebuilt with two stories. The number of mills was increased to ten and they stayed the most important energy source of the city till the end of the 19. century.
In the early 19. century again the dam was devastated by a fire. The citizens now asked the king not to rebuild the mills directly in the city centre due to fire danger and other reasons. But he let the mills be re-erected on the dam as part of an ensemble which also again comprised colonnades as well as residential, public and commercial buildings. The whole site was planned by the builder Ludwig Persius, a scholar of the important Prussian architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel. 

In late 19. century the mills and the surrounding houses were finally demolished and replaced by a castle-like building for the 'Städtische Sparkasse' (engl: 'City Savings Bank', see [P2] and [P3]). The Mühlendamm itself was enlarged due to the increasing traffic and besides the houses and the parts functioning as a dam it now consisted of not less than seven different bridges. In 1894 a lock for ships was opened here, finally making the shipping via Mühlendamm possible. 

[P2] The Mühlendamm with the City Savings bank, photo by Waldemar Titzenthaler [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

[P3] The Sparkasse / City Savings Bank, also called 'Normannenburg', north facade (engl: 'Normans Castle'), photo by Königlich Preussische Messbildanstalt [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

In the 1920ies and 30ies new plans were made to demolish this whole dam complex in order to better organise the increasing car and ship traffic. For the latter a new larger lock was part of the plans, too. The demolition and the construction of the new lock finally was executed by the Nazi authorities between 1936 and 1942 but World War II stopped the erection of a new Mühlendamm bridge. 

[P4] The temporary bridge, re-erected after the 2nd World War, Attribution: Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-S95948 / CC-BY-SA 3.0 [CC BY-SA 3.0 de (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/de/deed.en)], via Wikimedia Commons

In 1945 there only existed a temporary bridge (see [P4]) in order to garantuee the traffic while construction works for the new bridge were going on. The German troops themselves destroyed this bridge in the last days of the war in order to stop Russian troops.

[P5] 1946: Two workers repairing the Tram cables at Mühlendamm after war  destruction. In the background: The temporary bridge already heaved out of the river, Attribution: Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-1989-0131-500 / CC-BY-SA [CC BY-SA 3.0 de (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/de/deed.en)], via Wikimedia Commons

When the war was over Berlin became divided in sectors of the winning powers. From now on the Mühlendamm was located in the Soviet sector and later in Socialist East Germany. Anyway the temporary bridge, a steel framework construction, was heaved out of the water again and patched (see [P5]). It remained in use untill a new permanent bridge was built in the 1960ies, the now standing bridge.

[P6] Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-T0913-0301 / CC-BY-SA 3.0 [CC BY-SA 3.0 de (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/de/deed.en)], via Wikimedia Commons

Today´s situation shows the site of the Mühlendamm as a broad 8 lane expressway-like road. It is four times wider than the Mühlendamm from before the war. The site is uninviting and I personally would not stay there for a long time. The former heart of Berlin disappeared and turned into a no go area in means of unattractiveness - the former structure of this most important part of old Berlin has been buried below a street one would rather expect in the suburbs or commercial areas in order to provide good connection to the city centre. In my opinion the Mühlendamm and(!) the Mühlendamm bridge should be changed in order to create a lively place for the present again as well as for the remembrance of its important past.

[P7] The bridge in present times. Attribution: http://brueckenweb.de http://www.brueckenweb.de/2content/datenbank/bruecken/3brueckenblatt.php?bas=2575

Short facts about the bridge of today:
Type and Material: Pretensioned concrete girder bridge
Length: 114,2m
Width: 45,2m
Spans: 3

The 'City Hall Bridge'

In the early days of Berlin the city actually consisted of the two independent towns Berlin and Cölln (see also [P.1]). While Berlin was located east of the river Spree, Cölln was located on an island which was flowed round by the main river and one of its branches.

The 'Lange Brücke'
The first bridge connection of the two settlements was the 'Mühlendamm' (German for 'Mill Dam' about which I plan to write a post in the future). Berlin´s and Cölln´s second bridge was the so-called 'Lange Brücke' (which equals 'Long Bridge' in English). It probably was erected when Berlin and Cölln decided to unite but no later than around 1307. Its name literally related to its length. Back then the river Spree was partly much wider and so for today´s visitors it would be hard to believe that this location once suggested such a name for a river crossing. Being built not only for connecting the town´s districts also the new town hall was erected on it. In order to protect this building the bridge could be closed by gates at its entrances.
The first Lange Brücke was made of wood and for ships it was not possible to pass. In 1660 it was replaced by a better wood construction based on the model of Dutch bridges. The area around the bridge was probably pretty dirty because of the local people using it not only for trading but also as a toilet making the regents dissapointed about that situation.

[P.1] Berlin (red) and Cölln (yellow) in the year 1688: The Lange Brücke is situated relatively in the middle and marked by the letter q. The City Palace is marked by the letter a. Attribution: By J. M. F. Schmidt [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

The first stone bridge at this place
It was built from 1692 to 1695 by Johann Arnold Nehring and the French engineer Jean Louis Cayart . There are sources which say it was one of the most beautiful artworks of its time. It consisted of five vaults and its construction material was red sandstone from the quarries of the town of Pirna. It became richly decorated: The stone balustrades on each side of the bridge carried six sculptures each. They symbolised figures of Roman mythology. Other decorations symbolised the rivers of Brandenburg, Havel, Dahme, Nuthe and Spree as well as Portraits of the regent and his family. Anyway the most remarkable statue was the one on a podest on the widened vault in the middle of the bridge designed by famous sculptor and architect Andreas Schlüter (*1659 or 1660, +1714) showing Friedrich Wilhelm of Brandenburg, 
the so-called 'Great elector' [P.2] riding on a horse while looking out to the city palace with a fierce look. This work is made out of bronze and was cast by Johann Jacobi being a brass founder and working for Schlüter. The casting was done in one piece, a technique Jacobi had learned when he had worked in Paris. The statue was presented to the public on the bridge in the year 1703. 
In 1706 four slaves to the horse's feet were added, symbolising conquered lands and as a reminiscence to the back then flourishing Prussian slave trade.
The builder of the bridge and initiator of the equestrian statue was Friedrich III. the 'Great Elector´s' son: This regent wanted to compete with other European aristocratic dynasties and was influenced by French king Louis XIV. His employee Schlüter originally presented him a more comprehensive planning which included a representative square with Palace, new dome and the nobility's stables with the bridge linking the palace to Berlin´s town centre but it was not realised due to the higher costs.

[P.2] Original title: Berlin, memorial of the elector Friedrich Wilhelm of Brandenburg  Scherl: Berlin 1938
Designed by Schlüter the monument to the Elector Frederick William of Brandenburg (1964-88) is located on the 'Elector Bridge' ('Town Hall Bridge'); in the background the waterfront facade of the royal stables is visible. Photographer unknown
Attribution: Bundesarchiv (Federal Archive of Germany), Bild 183-1987-0616-503 / CC-BY-SA 3.0 [CC BY-SA 3.0 de (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/de/deed.en)], via Wikimedia Commons

In 1818 Karl Friedrich Schinkel renewed the bridge [P.3]: It was widened in order to handle the higher traffic and the stone balustrades were replaced by iron railings. Actually Schinkel wanted to conserve the balustrades' stone statues but it turned out to be too expensive. During the demolishing and construction works the equestrian statue was moved by a complicated railing system to another place and after that was moved onto the changed bridge again.

[P.3] View on the Kurfüsternbrücke and the Castle, date 1842. The railings were changed by Schinkel, Painting by Maximilian Roch (1793-nach 1862) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

The second stone bridge
In 1893 the 'Lange Brücke' from 1695 was completely replaced be by a new one. It was renamed to Kurfürstenbrücke ('Electors Bridge) and now consisted of only three vaults which made the passage of ships possible. The construction was made out of sandstone. 

[P.4] Kurfürstenbrücke ('Electors bridge'), date 1896, Hermann Rückwardt [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

The Electors Bridge was destroyed during the 2nd World War. Anyway Schlüter´s statue was saved before bombs and grenades would probably have destroyed it. The Nazis removed it in 1943. While transporting it over the Lake Tegel (Tegeler See) it sunk into the lake and kept disappeared for years. Sometime later after the war it was  rediscovered and placed in front of the Schloss Charlottenburg (Charlottenburg palace) in West Berlin.

New bridge constructions in Socialist times
After 1945 the centre of Berlin and with it the bridge was situated in the Soviet occupation zone. The Soviet Army replaced its remainings with a temporary bridge. Later in the times of GDR (German Democratic Republic, the socialist German satellite state of the Soviet Union) the temporary bridge was rebuilt in the course of the nearby erection of the so-called 'Palast der Republik' (equals 'Palace of the Republic'). The river at this location was narrowed to eight meters width.


The bridge of today
It is the result of a competition from 1999. It was won by German architect Walter A. Noebel (*1953 - +2012). His design approach is rather clear and minimalistic. The vault-less relatively thin steel plate of the roadway and the two pedestrian ways spans from one side to the other, passing two newly built lantern posts on each side. In opposite to the roadway those and the buttresses below the bearings of the bridge are clad in natural stone. The only contrasting details are the railing posts which literally imitate wood branches, a work of the Swiss artist Erik Steinbrecher.

[P.5] The bridge of today, design by Walter A. Noebel, own photo

The decision not to reconstruct the old 'Kurfürsten Bridge' and not to bring back the statue of the 'Great Elector' from the Charlottenburg Palace to its original location on the Town Hall Bridge caused protests by several organisations which would like to reconstruct the original bridge respectively parts of it. Anyway they didn´t succeed relating that matter. Now the modern bridge stands and no reminiscences to its predecessors were made. In my opinion the decision not to bring back the statue was right: After all it represented an emperor having slaves at his feet and being involved in the slave trade of his times: These facts make it impossible for me to vote for the idea of reconstruction at this place. Last but not least the Nazis seemed to adore this statue even so much that they didn´t melt it for arms production as they did with many of Berlin´s public artworks made out of metal. A comeback for a monument being symbol of absolutist reign and slavetrade at such a place as the location next to the rebuilt Berlin City Palace, now lying in the centre of reunited democratic Germany would be a wrong signal of urban planning. Although a contemporary design of the bridge was the right decision there could have been more reminiscences and hints to the past of this site which was so important for Berlin during centuries.